It is also called Inactivated Polio Vaccine or IPV or Salk vaccine. The polio vaccine provides protection against the disease poliomyelitis. It is a serious disease which may result in paralysis or impaired body movements (one in 200 cases).

Poliomyelitis is a contagious disease and may prove fatal. Generally children less than 5 years of age are more susceptible to this infection. The polio virus enters through oral route. mostly spread by contaminated water.

It can also spread by close contact. The virus replicates in the intestine of the person. Then it enters the blood stream and travels to the brain and the central nervous system. When the virus reproduces itself in the central nervous system, the infection results in paralysis and the patient cannot move an arm or a leg.

Earlier about 20,000 cases were infected with poliomyelitis per year in USA. It proved fatal in about 1000 cases annually. Dr. Jonas Salk developed (thus the name Salk vaccine) the polio vaccine in 1955. This vaccine has considerably lowered the infection of poliomyelitis. In USA, the polio immunization started in 1955 and by 1960 the polio cases reduced to 3,000. In 1979 only ten poliomyelitis cases were reported. So it is eliminated from USA. But it has still not been totally eradicated from the developing nations. So the vaccination is advisable.

The vaccine contains the polio virus in killed or inactivated form.

OPV or Oral Polio Vaccine contains live attenuated virus. It is suppose to have more effect than the IPV in producing antibodies. But in very rare cases OPV was found to cause poliomyelitis. So IPV is considered safe for immunization.

Dosage:

Polio immunization should be started in infant stage and four doses of IPV should be administered at :

• 2 months
• 4 months
• Between 6 and 18 months
• Between 4 and 6 years

The last two doses act like booster doses.

Contraindicated in children :

• With severe allergic reaction to earlier IPV dose.
• Who have severe allergic reaction to neomycin, streptomycin and polymyxin B

No adverse effects have been reported in pregnant women. Still, it is advisable to give IPV during pregnancy only if it is essential or if the woman is at the risk of infection.The polio vaccine can be given t the children with milder ailments, diarrhea etc. but in case of serious illness, polio immunization should be postponed till the child recovers.

 Side effects:

No serious side effects of polio vaccine have been reported. Only a little inflammation and redness may persist for a few days where the vaccine is injected.